Artificial Intelligence Continues to Reap: Hard Drive Costs Rise by an Average of 46%

Artificial Intelligence Continues to Reap: Hard Drive Costs Rise by an Average of 46%

https://ixbt.games/en/news/2026/01/16/iskusstvennyi-intellekt-prodolzaet-zatvu-stoimost-zestkix-diskov-vyrosla-v-srednem-na-46-smi.html

Publish Date: 2026-01-16 08:09:00

Source Domain: ixbt.games

• Hard drive prices have increased by an average of 46% since September 2025, according to ComputerBase’s analysis of the most popular models.
• Seagate and Toshiba hard drives, including the Seagate BarraCuda 24 TB, have seen price surges of over 60%.
• The price increase affects both mass-market solutions and flagship models across the entire segment.
• Prices have also risen in the American market with Seagate’s IronWolf models experiencing significant hikes.
• A systemic shortage affects key manufacturers, including Western Digital, indicating a broadly based market issue.
• In Russia, the price of Seagate and Western Digital drives has risen dramatically.
• The surge in hard drive prices is attributed to the high demand driven by the boom in artificial intelligence and the reallocation of storage capacity to serve AI needs.
• The overall trend indicates that prices will likely continue to rise due to the demand for greater computing power and storage solutions.